Photojourney to Oktoberfest Parade

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Photojourney to Oktoberfest Parade

The Oktoberfest Parade, officially known as the Costume and Rifleman’s Parade in Munich was going to start in a couple of hours.  But as I woke up to the pitter-patter of rain on my roof, a dreary sky and a German husband who suggested we could just watch the parade on TV and stay dry, I pondered, “Was it really worth getting out of bed, getting wet and going to the parade in the rain and being there at 10:00 am?”  I decided “yes” and was glad I went.  Here’s why:

I decided “yes” and was glad I went.  Here’s why:

oktoberfest parade, munich, bavaria, germany

Oktoberfest Parade Costumes:

oktoberfest parade costumes, munich, bavaria, germany
Traditional costumes from the Black Forest.
oktoberfest parade costumes, munich, bavaria, germany
Love these hats!
oktoberfest parade muenchen kindl, munich, bavaria, germany
The Münchner Kindl (Munich Child) is the symbol on the city’s coat of arms and appears all over Munich.
oktoberfest parade costumes lederhosen, munich, bavaria, germany
Lots of lederhosen was on display at the Oktoberfest Parade.

The Official Oktoberfest Breweries Bringing the Beer to Oktoberfest, well traditionally anyway.  As Oktoberfest starts the day before the parade, I’m pretty sure the beer is already there.

oktoberfest parade beer
Parade Procession:   Germans don’t do floats as they’re done in North America, but the result is no less interesting and often leaves me scratching my head. I’m sure there’s a reason that a bed is in the Oktoberfest Parade, but neither my German husband nor I had any idea why.

parade float

parade floats
Is anyone hungry?

There’s nothing like live music and colorful costumes to wake you up on a Sunday morning and we were lucky enough to find a cover under one of the high-end stores found on Maximilian Street (stores are closed on Sundays in Germany so we couldn’t go inside).

I enjoyed the Oktoberfest Parade and would recommend it to anyone in Munich at that time, but as much as I enjoyed it, I will confess that we only stayed for an hour because of the rain.

To find out more about Oktoberfest you can also visit the Bier and Oktoberfest Museum in Munich.

Would you be interested in going to the Oktoberfest Parade?

You can also skip the line, get a guaranteed seat in the fun Löwenbrau Tent, a walking tour of the Oktoberfest grounds and 2.5 litres of beer with this tour.

Be sure to check out my Munich City Guide for how to make the most of your precious travel time.

Here’s how to make your visit to Oktoberfest happen

  • Avoid standing in lines with this Oktoberfest tour. Get the details here.
  • Or extend your Oktoberfest time with this four-day tour. It includes camping where the party continues.
  • Don’t see what you’re looking for? You’ll find more Oktoberfest tours HERE.

Remember there’s more to Munich than Oktoberfest. Check out our Munich Travel Guide here.